Category Archives: Software

I started using Plex media server just over 1 year ago, and t first I was not sure if it would meet my needs. I wanted something that would organize my media and share it to multiple devices within my house. Now, I’m not saying that Plex is the only solution that does this, there are many others and I’ve used a few different options in the best, including Samsung Share Manager and Serviio media server, both of which worked fine most of the time, but they didn’t really jump off the stage as being above the rest of crowd.

Plex met a few conditions that I had that other solutions did not.

Allowed sharing with others outside my home

Allowed access to my content when away from home

Display posters/pictures of the media, along with a description of the movie or TV show.

Plex can be broken down into basically 2 parts. The first being the Media Server part, which you will need to stream to multiple devices in your house and allow sharing of your media. The second is the App or client, be it the Plex Home Theatre(US spelling is used on their website – Theater) or an app for IOS, Android or Windows phone.

I have Plex Media Server running on a spare desktop PC running Fedora Linux, and have 9 TB of disk in a raid 5 configuration, giving me 6 TB of space to store my media. I break down the organization into Kids Stuff, TV Shows (both SD and HD), Movies (again, both SD and HD) and Music. Of course, you can organize your media any way you like, but it came in handy with my method when setting up my folders within Plex and sharing with other users, I was able to restrict access for my daughter to only the Kids stuff.
Plex Media Server can also run on Windows (32 bit and 64 bit), FreeBSD (64 bit only) and MacOS, with the Linux offerings being 32 bit or 64 bit and available in Debian or RPM packages. It can also be installed on a variety of NAS systems.

Plex clients are not free for Android, IOS or Roku, but well worth the money, though if you want them for free, consider getting a Plex Pass, which gets early access to new features along with the clients for free. GoogleTV and Samsung Smart TV’s and Blu-ray players also have access to a Plex application. Since I mentioned Plex Pass, I should say that I purchased it, mostly for early access, multiuser support, the free application for Android and to support development of Plex. I bought a lifetime pass, but monthly and yearly subscriptions are available.

I do not work for Plex, nor have I received any compensation from them what so ever, this is just my honest feedback on an awesome application that is worth checking out.

We’re already over 2 months into 2014 and this is my first entry of the year. I’m still adjusting to being a parent, and having less free time than before, but then, I don’t recall having much to begin with. Well, this someone has set a few goals for this year.

1. Learn JavaScript.

I have a desire to develop an application to do scheduling and generate a phone list for search and rescue. It needs to allow administrators to add, edit and manage the user information, generate a weekly schedule (for either 1 or 2 crews) and generate a phone list, which can be viewed online or emailed to members of a distribution list. I discovered that Google has a custom script engine, and decided that using Google Drive, Docs and Scripts to complete this would be a good learning experience. I’ve begun working on the tutorials available at www.codecademy.com.

2. Switch from my laptop to a Chromebook.

90% of what I use my laptop for is online. I purchased a DellInspiron 14 back in August 2011, partly for me to use while watching TV, and since at the time my wife was off work for 3 months after having knee replacement surgery. I am also a big fan of Google, so why not a Chromebook? Selection is still a bit limited in Canada, but the prices for the devices seem right, ranging from around $199 to $349. I think I want to get one of the 13″ displays, so that narrows the options down a lot, pretty much the HP Chromebook 14, the Toshiba Chromebook or (if I’m a little crazy) the Pixel.

3. Get Google Glass.

It may seem a strange goal, but I want to be one of those people wearing Google Glass. I see potential to use it for work, navigation, and I’d like to figure out the logistics of using it while flying a plane. Think about it, it could be handy for general aviation navigation, landing approach plate overlays, and could even be handy for aerial search and rescue. Since the device is not available in Canada yet and still costs $1,500 USD, this could be pushed back until next year. NOTE: If anyone that currently has Glass, wants to donate their pair, hit me up (leighATleighcDOTcom). I suspect getting Glass to fit with an aviation headset is going to be real tricky/fun.

By now, most people have heard of the ‘Play 4 Free’ gaming model. Basically, developers and publishers will put out a game, which costs the gamer nothing. Theses games may be supported by advertisements, backing from a major publisher, or even paid for premium content or extras. Now, I wouldn’t call this approach to games new, as it seems like a new take on the old Shareware methods of the 80’s and 90’s

So, some of the big players that have put out games that I have played, and am probably still playing, include EA, Funzio, Wargaming.net and Turbine. Yes I am including a few browser based games in the mix, partially because of the portability factor with them.

Let me start with Funzio. They are responsible for the browser based game Crime City, which I bumped into on Google+. It is also available in Facebook, and through the Apple iTunes store for iOS devices.

Next up, Turbine. They gave us Lord of the Rings Online, based on the J.R.R. Tolkien series of books. The game has decent graphics, DirectX 10 support, and does require a client download. They have also recently announced an upcoming expansion, Riders of Rohan, due out later this year.

Now, we’ll get into Wargaming.net. They responsible for World of Tanks. Who doesn’t want to drive around in a selection of WWII period tanks, blowing other players up. It does require a client download, but it’s worth it. The game has a tiered based system for upgrading to newer and larger tanks, and each tank can be customized with different guns, ammo, engines, etc. Wargaming.net has also announced that they are working on another WWII game called World of Planes… say hello to my next time vampire.

Lastly, I’ll mention the biggest name in the field… EA, but I won’t detail there products quite as much, as just list the ones that I play, or have played and enjoyed. My list of games that have garnered my attention include:
– Lord of Ultima
– Battlefield Heroes
– Battlefield Play4Free– Tiger Woods Online– Something that I cannot name due to having signed an NDA and it is still in closed beta.

And why do I like Play 4 Free type games so much? I don’t get tied to them like I did with Warcraft… I can play when I want, and for as little or as long as I want.

At this point, I start a remote session to my Fedora 14 server, that I use for web design, ftp, and downloading files into a ‘safe’ zone. I wait 1-2 minutes to fake a slow start up… For reference, this is what my ‘Start’ button looks like in KDE.

Me: Ok, my computer is on

Caller: Down in the lower left hand corner, can you please to click on the Start Options button

A new build of Serviio has been released. 0.6.1 rolled out this past week with a few nice changes and updates. I’ve been using Serviio for the last year and have found it to be one of the best DLNA services available for Windows and Linux.

Some of the highlights that I like.
– Stream online content like Youtube or Hulu
– Less disconnects
– Better transcoding support